Duft erhebt sich zum Tanz

Kapitel 18

"My husband, you go first."

Shi Wuji frowned. Husband? It was really too strange for her to say that word.

Huan'er, who kept her head down, secretly stuck out her tongue, her heart chuckling uncontrollably. Him! A rigid, serious ancient man, wasn't he after a virtuous and obedient wife? Although she couldn't see his expression because of his lowered head, she could guess a bit. If she stopped being playful with him, he'd be uncomfortable. This was going to be fun; she planned to continue playing along and see when he couldn't take it anymore!

"You're angry." Shi Wuji lifted her chin, staring intently at her, his eyes scrutinizing her. He wasn't used to it, of course he wasn't! The most endearing thing about his little woman was her wildly lively and energetic nature, her bold actions. Nature can't be changed. Her sudden display of affected gentleness was naturally a silent protest against him. She was clever enough to channel her anger into power, and expressing it in this way was indeed unacceptable to him.

"How dare I?" she scoffed.

"If you don't dare, then no one in the world will." His gaze was very gentle, and he wanted to take her back to the room and make love to her. The maid said that she hadn't eaten or drunk anything since she woke up, and her body was already so thin. She was also a picky eater, so how could she be strong? If she wasn't strong, childbirth would be very difficult. He wanted to have an heir, his and Huan'er's child.

Huan'er pushed his hand away and walked along the railing. In private, when no one was around, he could finally joke around! Humph! A two-faced man with double standards. In public, he treats her like an appendage, like a servant, not allowing her to utter a single word, expecting her complete obedience. So what if he's the leader? She's his wife! This behavior is actually a set of rules he imposes on himself; no one demands that he behave in a certain way as a leader. Isn't he the highest authority?

Shi Wuji walked beside her, observing the ever-changing expressions on her face without uttering a word. He enjoyed listening to her talk, as he was never good at small talk, while Huan'er disliked his condescending and authoritative tone when he spoke to her.

Huan'er couldn't stay still for long, so she casually started a conversation.

"Aren't you busy with work?"

"almost."

What kind of answer was that? Yes! He'd been wary of her all along. Clever! He should understand that Su Guangping wouldn't have any good intentions in marrying his daughter into the family, because his reputation had never been good; he wouldn't do anything that would lose him money! Avoiding sensitive topics, she asked again, "Aren't you leaving today?"

"I'm leaving tomorrow." That's all there is to it!

If he really felt impatient and didn't want to talk to her, he didn't need to stand there and get in her way. Huan'er turned around and faced him with her hands on her hips.

"If you're alright, I'm going back to my room. Don't follow me, you're—you're suffocating!"

Watching her run back into the house, Shi Wuji didn't stop her. Although it was impolite, it was her true nature, and he had wanted her back in her room for a while. Looking at his wife's retreating figure, a faint smile appeared on his lips—Huan'er was more perceptive than he had imagined. How could someone with such a personality be suited for undercover work? She hadn't made a move for half a month; where would she begin? He was already waiting to see.

After changing back into her palace-style dress, she saw a round table in the flower hall laden with four kinds of candied fruit, fruit, noodles, side dishes, and chicken soup, each in a small dish, totaling about twenty or thirty dishes—a very attractive spread. But for her to eat it all would be a different story. Clearly, Shi Wuji, who had been leisurely waiting for her, was planning to do just that. She inwardly cursed; he should be angry that she had so rudely walked away earlier, so why had he followed her in? In broad daylight, didn't his boss have a lot of things to do? If she remembered correctly, men in ancient times rarely returned to their rooms during the day; that would be ridiculed as indulging in excessive sexual activity. She was indeed a little hungry, but seeing the large table of food instantly dispelled her hunger. She was usually a picky eater; she could eat two large bowls of beef noodles in one sitting, but seeing a large amount of food in front of her made her nauseous. The worst-case scenario was to slip away.

"Huan'er." Seeing her uncertain expression, Shi Wuji took the initiative and grabbed her hand. The two-meter distance posed no obstacle, and she hadn't even taken a step.

"I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep." No excuse could stop him. Huan'er pitifully let him pull her back to the table.

Shi Wuji placed a bowl of soup in front of her.

"The maid said you haven't had a drop of water."

"I'm not hungry, I can't eat." She frowned in disgust.

"Eat a little bit of everything, okay?" he coaxed gently.

This tenderness had a fatal effect on her, she sighed to herself. She dared to challenge his authoritarian anger, yet couldn't bear to defy his rare tenderness. Su Huan'er was destined to fall for him here.

"Eat at least a little." He personally picked up a piece of jujube cake and held it to her lips. She obediently took a bite.